I was coming by train from Postojna and studying a map of Ljubljana. Nothing was prebooked, and I wanted to stay near the station and all attractions.
Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia and I thought that finding accommodation in it should not be a problem. That was a big mistake. I walked from one hotel to another; all of them were fully booked. In one hotel, a receptionist took pity on me and made phone calls. There were only 2 rooms available in the entire city center. A room in one hotel was €280/night, and €180/night in another. I heard that accommodation in Ljubljana is expensive, but I did not expect it to be that expensive. Well, I decided to treat myself for a change. Normally, I stay at budget hotels. So I took the cheaper room out of these two.
The Urban hotel was small and had that luxurious feel about it. My room was so nice that I forced myself to leave it and see the city. Thankfully, it stopped raining and the sun was breaking through the clouds.
Ljubljana’s main attraction is the castle perched on a hill. It looked interesting when I viewed it from below and there was hardly anything to see in it when I was inside. It paled in comparison with Predjama Castle that I saw the day before.
The key point about the castle was that at some time, it was converted to a prison. Visitors can see the cells and read about the inhumane conditions in which the prisoner lived. Some were kept in holes in the ground that were covered only with metal grates to prevent prisoners from escaping but not to protect them from the elements.
Ljubljana’s old center is pretty. I enjoyed a walk around it. I especially liked the Dragon Bridge with four beautiful dragons. Sometimes, I wish that dragons actually existed.
To end this post on an even more positive note, a burger at Lars & Sven was really good.
I did not want to check out of Urban Hotel. Their breakfast buffet exceeded all my expectations but it was time to go to my next destination, Bled.